


Jaellyaced Kiss

by orangeflesh (eajwrites)



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Jaehyungparkian, M/M, Slice of Life, University AU, attempted humor, bffs turned lovers, first kiss struggles, fluff?, free-spririted bri, innocent jae, jhpian, kjae, parkian, so bad at this humor fluff stuff but i guess it's okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:54:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23154367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eajwrites/pseuds/orangeflesh
Summary: Jae and Brian were best buddies. But at some point in their friendship, a certain button in Brian's head was pressed and now he's constantly attacking Jae with surprise attempts of stealing the latter's first kiss. What was his deal? Was he just toying with Jae?
Relationships: Kang Younghyun | Young K/Park Jaehyung | Jae
Comments: 38
Kudos: 120
Collections: Day6 OTPs





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i swear the title has 0.01 percent relevance to the story. there's just this certain someone who i love to bicker with that insisted i insert her word of wisdom here so yeah. anyway, she won't be reading this but whatever XD
> 
> shoutout to nolingual lazy ass kweens out there. you guys are the best XD

"Jae!”

Jae flinched at the sudden call of his name. He looked down and sure enough, directly below him (and the branch that he was sitting on, yes he was on a fucking tree) was Brian. His unbelievably idiot of a best friend. The latter was on his bicycle, sporting a goofy grin while frantically waving at him. With a sigh, Jae climbed down. "What do you want?" he asked almost absentmindedly as he was busy getting rid of some dirt on his hands by wiping them on his trousers. He had a hunch what Brian was up to but screw him, Jae wouldn’t so readily give him what he wanted.

Brian got off his bike. "I figured you'd be lonely so I dropped by. Is that bad?" He had his brows furrowed and head a bit tilted to the side.

Jae rolled his eyes, "Thank you so much for thinking about my wellbeing but _coincidentally_ , you want something from me. Am I right?” 

He didn’t wait for Brian’s response as he turned on his heels and walked towards the front door of his house — his sister’s house to be exact. He was manning it for the time being until his sis comes back. It was a good deal since the house was closer to his school and he could do whatever the hell he wanted without his mom constantly nagging at him. 

Brian just smiled and left his bike leaning on the tree as he followed Jae. 

The house, despite being small was well furnished and had a homey feel to it. The front door led to a small balcony with a relatively wide window where you could have access to the beautiful view of a garden filled with peonies and roses. Brian mentally noted to ask Jae later on if he was the one who tended to it.

On a corner was a table just wide enough to hold a fish bowl of four goldfishes. Brian stopped there and watched as the fishes swam to and fro. "Did you feed them already?" he yelled/asked Jae, eyes not leaving the fishes. 

Jae who was now in the kitchen standing in front of the open fridge, answered back as if he could see what Brian was doing. "I already did so will you stop staring at them? You'll scare the hell out of the poor fishes. Get your butt on the couch and fill that bottomless pit stoma—" 

Jae wasn't able to complete his sentence as he let out a yelp. A painfully familiar set of arms were wrapped tightly around his waist. He did not dare turn his head to look at the person back hugging him. If he did, he's five hundred percent sure that Brian would kiss him. 

It was a stupid prank he played on Jae every fucking chance he gets. But the heavens must have loved Jae because not even once did Brian succeed in his attempts. It all started from an equally stupid reason. Really. 

The arms loosened and an amused laughter rang in his ears. Jae was irritated to say the least but then he ignored it considering that Brian would just laugh it off, that and he was already tired of lecturing the idiot every single time. So instead of wasting time and energy nagging, he busied his self with choosing their snacks. And besides, Brian was already out of his reach 2.8 seconds after the assault. 

Jae’s eyes caught sight of the cheesecake his mom had baked for him when she visited the day before. He carefully took four slices and proceeded to the living room. There, on the floor, facing opposite from the kitchen, Brian was lying on his stomach. His chin propped up on his palm, totally absorbed in watching Phineas and Ferb (Brian would always insist that he was Phineas and Jae was Ferb).

Jae silently placed the food on the coffee table and sat on the couch.

When Brian finally felt the presence of the cheesecake (yes, the cheesecake not Jae), he peeled his self from the floor and jumped on the couch, directly in front of the table, pushing Jae aside in the process. 

After gaining his balance, Jae said, "Yah! How dare you push me you f—" again, he wasn't able to finish his sentence for a spoonful of cheesecake was shoved in his mouth. 

"What did you want to say again?" Brian's face was literally two inches away from Jae’s own, displaying a smirk that Jae knew damn too well. 

That smirk only meant that the idiot was up to no good so instead of continuing what he intended to say, Jae chewed on the cake in his mouth and avoided Brian’s gaze. Suddenly, the curtains to his right proved to be very attractive he couldn’t take his eyes off them as he straightened his back, slowly inching away from his best friend. 

Brian seemed to be contented with the reaction that he got for he instantly switched his attention to the cheesecake. And just like that, Brian finished everything by himself because Jae had lost his appetite after what happened.

When the cartoon ended, Brian stood up, his hands on his hips. “I, Brian Kang humbly request that you, Park Jaehyung will teach me the ways of answering our Math assignment.”

Jae rolled his eyes too excessively it hurt. He switched off the television and proceeded to his room. 

Brian followed. A victorious grin was plastered on his face. 

Jae's room was simple. All he had was a bed, a cabinet containing his anime figures, a big table (well, it's relatively big when compared to the room itself), an old guitar and a closet. The room was neat and clean except for the wall that was decorated with various unfinished drawings hanged messily. The drawings were beautiful even before their completion though. Some were landscapes, some were everyday scenarios, faces of people, manhwa characters, doodles, flowers, some had colors, some were in black and white. Some Brian couldn’t recognize but nevertheless beautiful. Brian wondered just how perfect his best friend was. He had a lot of talent but unfortunately, he was not interested in showcasing them. Aside from drawing, Jae also played the guitar. He had the sweetest singing voice (it just melts in your ears sort of sweetness) and he could dance if he tried. 

"What the hell are you taking your time standing and spacing out for? You're giving me the creeps. Hurry up and get your ass here before I change my mind." Jae was motioning Brian to sit on the space beside him. 

Instead of coming up with a retort, Brian found himself struggling not to pinch his best friend’s cheeks. Jae was too cute sitting there cross-legged in the middle of his bed with a furrowed expression on his face and pouted lips. After a three seconds internal strife, Brian sat beside him. Books and notes spread in front of them. 

Jae proceeded to open the notebook containing their assignment then wrote something on a separate piece of paper.

Brian watched his best friend in amusement from the side. Jae had this focused look on him that he usually displayed when he was drawing or when he was trying his best to write something for Brian to study with. 

After a couple of scribbles here and there, Jae smiled triumphantly and showed Brian the steps for solving the first problem. Brian took it and after studying the steps for a while, he noticed that it was much simpler compared to what their teacher had shown them during their class. He was not that dumb (mind you) but the professor had the ability to make their topics more difficult than they already were. 

Brian solved the next problem with some help from Jae but after that, he was able to answer the remaining questions with confidence. 

No words were exchanged between them during Brian's study session aside from the comments Jae made every now and then. Most of the time, he just watched Brian and occasionally checked if he was doing it right but it turned out that Brian could actually answer them pretty easily. With a yawn, Jae laid down for a bit to take some rest.

After an hour and a half, Brian finished doing his assignment. He glanced over at Jae and noticed that the other was fast asleep. 

"Jae-ah. Jaehyung!" 

They had a mass to attend at five and it was already four. 

When Jae did not move, an idea popped up in Brian’s head. He slowly leaned and hovered above Jae, "Wake up princess. If you won’t, the prince is gonna steal your first kiss." 

And just like that, Jae immediately rose from the dead. 

Brian broke into a wave of laughter upon seeing Jae's face. Jae's usually almost none-existing eyes were red and widely opened. His hair in a complete mess and above all, his face was a dark shade of red up to his ears.

After blinking a couple of times, Jae realized that it was all a dream. In his dream, Brian attempted to kiss him but unlike before, Jae wasn't able to dodge. Their lips met and at first, the Brian in his dream was just as shocked as he was. But after a moment, to his horror, Brian smirked and pinned him on the wall. His best friend then leaned closer and closer until their lips were just a breadth of a hair away. Brian’s breath fanned his face which ultimately sent shivers down his spine. He short-circuited.

Brian was still laughing his guts out. 

"What the hell?" Jae spat. He tried his best to sound angry despite his embarrassment. Did Brian saw his dream too?

"Your defences are up even when you are sleeping huh." Brian said when he finished catching his breath. "Is your first kiss that precious?" 

"So you tried to kiss me while I was sleeping?!" Jae asked in utter disbelief. "What's your deal?" Jae was already on the verge of crying.

Sensing the graveness of the atmosphere, Brian straightened up and cleared his throat. He won’t be able to forgive himself if he made Jae cry. "Jae I'm sorry. I was just…just trying to wake you up. I didn’t know that I would hurt you. I’m really sorry Jae.” Brian inched closer towards Jae before enveloping him in a tight embrace. "I'm very sorry if I scared you." 

Jae was having an internal debate on whether he will punch the idiot or just pardon his idiocy (an insert: here goes Jae’s lack of inner monologue). After weighing all of the troubles and consequences the violence will bring him later on, he chose the latter. "Okay. Fine. Just don't do that again when I’m sleeping."

Upon hearing his verdict, Brian hugged Jae even tighter and fake-sobbed. "Really? Thank you for giving me the permission to kiss you when you are awake." He then jumped off the bed and went to get his bike, leaving Jae dumbfounded.


	2. Chapter 2

_Two weeks earlier._

“I’ll tell you what,” Brian started, puckering his lips towards the television screen. He was sitting on his bed, watching an old romcom movie with Jae. They (mostly Jae) were cleaning his room when they got their hands on it so they decided to give it a shot. “That way of kissing is a no-no. Both parties should be in a comfortable position so that they would enjoy to the fullest. I bet the director does not have enough experience when it comes to-“ 

“Will you shut your trap?” Jae finally had had enough. It was already the fourth time that Brian ruined a good scene because of his unsolicited comments. “The reason that we’re watching this is obviously not because of the kissing scenes. Ever heard of a storyline? Yeah? That’s what I’m trying to enjoy here. So instead of talking about kissing scenes like you own the title of South Korea’s best kisser, just shut up.” 

“Every time I speak of kissing scenes, you would always cut me off,” Brian mused. “Do you have a problem with kisses?”

Feeling his blood boiling already, Jae abruptly spun his head towards Brian; ready to throw a punch at the slightest provocation. “No, I didn’t have any problem with it before but now, I’m starting to develop a serious one.”

Surprisingly though, Brian didn’t even gave him a side glance. He was focused on the television. And when Jae turned back on the screen, he knew why. The quote unquote awkward kiss had evolved into a heated bed scene. Jae clicked his tongue and reached for the remote control. He fast forwarded until the bed scene ended, ignorant of the daggers Brian was throwing at him. 

The younger stood up from the bed and pressed the power button of the TV. 

“Why did you turn it off?” Jae complained.

Brian’s hands were on his hips as he faced his obviously unamused best friend. “Are you a virgin middle-aged lady or something? Why do you always fast forward the most exciting parts of the movie? We’re healthy eighteen year old boys with enough experiences of our own,” he sighed, displeasure apparent in his voice.

Brian had snapped. Jae’s gonna be in big trouble and he knew it of course. He tried to brainstorm for an acceptable reason but he couldn’t. He just stared at Brian with his mouth slightly parted. He was taken aback, yes. But not because Brian had asked if he was a middle-aged virgin lady (it’s nothing to be shocked about, really, given that Brian had a foul mouth sometimes). It’s because Brian just assumed that he, too, had experience with such things. And why would he make a big deal out of fast forwarding sex scenes? Jae too could watch it. But that’s when he was all alone. Watching it in the presence of someone else even if it was his best friend was just awkward and shit.

“So you’re just gonna stare at me like that? Explain yourself because I don’t understand your behavior at all.” Brian continued.

“I…uh..I…,” Jae was uncertain whether to tell Brian the truth or not. He fidgeted under the eyes of the towering man in front of him. Ironic because he was older and taller than Brian. He just felt needlessly small. Never in his entire life had he been as embarrassed as he was at the moment. Just thinking about how Brian would react made his face hot. He could actually picture the idiot rolling on the floor laughing at him.

Contrary to what Jae has assumed, Brian wasn’t (that) pissed off. He just wanted to know the reason why his best friend would always act so reserved. So while waiting for Jae’s answer, he just stood there and watched the other trace the hem of his own shirt and occasionally shift his weight from left to right, right to left acting like a high school girl trying to confess to her crush. 

After a minute or two that felt like forever to Brian, he sat down beside Jae again. “You what? Please continue speaking. It’s not like every day that I give you the golden opportunity to speak your heart out.”

Silence.

“The thing is uh…” Jae paused again. “Please don’t go assuming that I’m like you,” he finally managed to say.

“What do you mean? Say it in a way that I can understand.”

“Yeah right. I forgot about your comprehensive capacity. I almost forgot about it since you’re all acting like some smarty pants.” Jae retorted, (almost) forgetting that he was currently under an interrogation.

“Whatever. Continue explaining.” Brian shrugged the comment off and continued to stare at the older. 

The panicked expression came back on Jae’s face upon being reminded about what he was about to further explain. He gathered all of his courage which amounted to almost nothing by the way (because yeah, he’s a coward so what) and decided to spill the beans. “I’m a fucking virgin. I..I still have to experience my first kiss and everything. I haven’t even touched a girl’s hand for Pete’s sake. Now what?!” he blurted out. Letting it all out in one go. His face redder than ever.

Now it was Brian’s turn to be dumbfounded. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that his best friend was a virgin. Girls seemed to follow Jae everywhere he went. Man, Jae was definitely every girl’s dream. Setting his talents and academic achievements aside, his face alone was enough to make the girls (and guys) fall for him. With his dark brown eyes that seemed to sparkle every time he cracked the tiniest hint of smile (which was all the time when he was interacting with everyone that wasn’t Brian by the way), perfectly sculpted nose, plump pink lips (Brian wonders if Jae puts lipstick on them), milky white skin that put every skin care product endorsers out there to shame (add that sexy mole beneath his right ear), pearly white teeth and that slim yet athletic body of his that was always hidden under loose fitting sweatshirts and baggy pants (insert pt. 2: Brian knew better, smirk). 

Brian was even (slightly) jealous of the older boy’s popularity at school. Sure Brian was popular as well but it was all because he’s a basketball varsity player but mostly it’s because of his bad reputation — always getting into fights and hitting on girls like a madman. His motto was ‘real men should act like one’. He sometimes wonders how he became friends with Jae, the school’s all-time perfect student.

Now recovering from his initial shock, Brian smiled as he thought of a genius idea. He then leaned closer to Jae until their noses collided which made Jae jump back. 

“Wh-what do you think you’re doing?” surprise was etched on Jae’s face.

“What else? Of course I’m giving you your first kiss. You already touched my hand for thousands of times already so we are obviously past that stage,” Brian stated like it was the most obvious thing in the entire universe and Jae was missing on it big time. “Hurry and sit down again so I can give it to you. Consider yourself lucky because I’m giving it to you for free. Don’t you know that girls give me presents just to have my kiss?” 

Stating that Jae was flabbergasted was an understatement. Not only did Brian not laugh at him but also attempted to kiss him. 

“Pervert bastard!” was all Jae was able to say, to which Brian just grinned in return.


	3. Chapter 3

Monday mornings gave nothing but headache to Jae. He hated rush hours more than anything. Every damned corner was packed with people. Children ran around aimlessly for their chitchatting nannies were too busy with their morning meetings. A baby was crying from who knows where, obviously neglected. A motorcycle without a fucking muffler sped past like he owned the highway. 

Everything seemed to join forces in triggering his migraine.

Jae hated it so much to the extent that he cursed his eyes and ears for seeing and hearing all of those annoying and insignificant scenes and noises. But he scolded himself right away for even thinking of it. Being a good person really had its downside; he’s not allowed to think of such thoughts. Doing his best to block just about anything that came to his senses, he forced a smile and slowly paced towards the bus stop. He took his sweet time getting there to avoid the wave of rushing passengers trying to catch the scheduled bus. He didn’t want to be late for his class but he loathed the idea of pressing bodies against strangers in the bus. He just prayed that their teacher wouldn’t arrive in class before him.

Fortunately, his prayers were not futile. Though the professor did arrive before him, Jae was just a few steps behind. After entering the classroom, he settled on an empty seat beside Wonpil. The latter was busy admiring a picture of a cat on his phone so Jae didn’t bother giving him a ‘good morning’ that’s why he was surprised when the younger spoke to him first. And in a loud, annoying voice to boot.

“Where is your boyfriend?” 

Jae eye-rolled. “I don’t recall having one Kim Wonpil ssi.” Jae was once again reminded of his poor choices in life by adding Wonpil to his list of friends.

“Geez, you’re no fun.”

Jae sighed. “It’s common knowledge that Brian is late all the time and will always be, so why are you still asking? Do you want anything from him?” 

“I hate you.” Wonpil crossed his arms on his chest dramatically and pouted.

“Hate me? Trust me the feeling is mutual but I should at least know the reason why I am being hated this time.” 

“I am your friend Jae so it’s only natural to tell me as soon as you and Brian became boyfriends.” Wonpil said in a feigned hurt expression. His voice louder than ever. 

Jae froze. Red all over after realizing that he fell on a trap set by the snake. And the snake was just there, smiling at him like a dead fish displaying all of his forty-five teeth.

“Congratulations Park Jaehyung ssi but please pay attention now. You can continue your announcement later. And Kim Wonpil ssi, stop grinning like that. You’re going to scare even the devil himself with that face of yours,” the teacher cut them out coldly but amusement was obvious in his eyes.

Recovering a bit now, Jae was able to manage a low ‘I’m sorry Sir’ while Wonpil just shrugged and faced the board. Their classmates were still looking at their direction whispering to each other when the main subject aka Kang Brian entered the room without much of a quick glance to their professor. 

Brian went straight to Jae’s seat. “Good morning my lovely and cute Jae!” he said with a beaming smile that could outshine the sun itself.

All of the living organisms present inside the room gasped. Except for the ignored teacher. “Why are you late Kang Brian ssi?”

Brian was quick to answer, “Because it’s already past eight.” He then pointed at the wall clock at the back of the room to make his point.

The teacher shook his head at a loss for words to say. “Go take your seat beside your boyfriend Mr. Loverboy. You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today.”

“Boyfriend? Seonsaengnim, are you by chance referring to this gorgeous person right here?”

“Yes.”

“Gladly!” Brian settled himself beside Jae in a flash.

But while all of these were happening, Jae was in a state of shock. He threw a deadly look at Wonpil who was at the moment fiddling innocently with the curls of his bangs. ‘I’m gonna make a smoked snake meat out of this scoundrel very soon.’ Jae sighed. The idiot best friend of his didn’t even bother to deny their teacher’s words. Then there he was, so shocked and embarrassed to be able to deny anything.

And just like that, the whole university became aware of their boyfriend-boyfriend relationship. The news spread like a wildfire. _‘The notorious playboy Kang Brian is dating the campus crush Park Jaehyung.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhh...i know i put 4 chapters before but now i don't know anymore. T_T  
> anyway, was this chapter too short? i'm sorry then ><


	4. Chapter 4

When lunch break came, Jae and Brian automatically headed towards the cafeteria with the latter repeatedly complaining how famished he was, which was an everyday scenario for Jae by the way. 

Upon arrival, they proceeded and placed their things on their usual table and queued at the vending machine for their meal tickets, oblivious to all of the watchful eyes around them. 

When it was their turn to buy the coupon, each moved their right hand to reveal their weapon. Brian’s scissors won against Jae’s paper. 

“Three cups of plain rice, fish cutlet, spicy pork stir fry, cucumber salad, squid stew and… ramyeon.” Brian recited as he pressed the corresponding buttons for each food. 

Jae followed suit and chose the same items except for the ramyeon.

Brian cleared his throat. 

“What?” Jae asked in a biting tone but Brian was Brian. He smiled just enough to show his deep dimple before batting his lashes at the older. 

Jae’s index finger flew towards the vanilla ice cream button in a speed of light as it was the only way for Brian to stop his gross aegyo. With his mission successfully accomplished, Brian marched happily towards the food trays while Jae paid for their lunch. 

A moment later, only the crowns of their heads were visible as they dived at their food. Neither said a single word. That showed how hungry they were and that was how they usually spent their lunch time. Everything was how it was supposed to be. But after finishing his second rice, Jae felt that something was off. And his intuition was confirmed when he scanned the environment around them. “Bri, is it just me or… all the students here are looking at us.” 

The younger did not seem to be bothered by this statement. Instead of answering, he took some pork slices from Jae’s tray. 

“Kang Younghyun!” 

Brian put down his chopsticks. “Jae, they are just mesmerized at how handsome and sexy I am.” 

Jae huffed, “Yeah right.” When he saw that Brian was not the least bit interested with his concern, he tried to push the thought at the back of his mind and continued eating.

After eating, the two went back to their classroom to wait for their next subject. They were early (blame them for inhaling all of their food in under ten minutes) so it was just the two of them inside the room. 

Occupying the seat in front, Brian positioned himself comfortably and closed his eyes, leaving Jae to his own business. The younger always needed his nap after eating lunch.

Out of boredom, Jae fiddled with his phone and checked his twitter account. He had the app muted so as soon as he opened it, his notifications exploded with mentions. He almost dropped his phone when the device vibrated continuously on his hand. He scrolled down and skimmed through the contents of the tweets. He couldn’t believe it. Everyone was tweeting, retweeting, quote-retweeting, hearting and mentioning #jaebri—they already got their fucking couple name. 

One particular tweet that garnered quite a number of likes and retweets caught Jae’s attention. 

‘The best couple of the university is finally here after years of waiting.’ 

“Couple?” Jae murmured. 

‘With this, the war going on between the students who are trying to claim these men is finally over. #jaebri fighting!’

Now Jae has figured out why everyone was staring at them back in the cafeteria—Wonpil’s ploy had escalated at a frightening speed. He threw a glance at the equally-at-fault-man who was peacefully asleep beside him. Only God knew how much he wanted to throw his phone at that unsuspecting perfectly sculpted face of his soon to be ex-best friend. He was so gonna disown the idiot. The headache that Jae was trying to supress since morning resurfaced. He held his beating temple as he tried to think of a solution on how to clear the misunderstanding. How would he correct it without garnering attention? He knew for sure that if he tweeted something to deny it, others would only suspect him of hiding their “true” relationship or whatever the hell they called it. Just how could he convince all of their delusional schoolmates that there’s nothing going on between him and Brian? 

Concluding that tweeting would do him more harm than good, Jae turned his phone off and slid it into his bag. With nothing left to do anymore except racking his brain for an answer to his problem that wouldn’t come to him anytime soon, he took out his sketch pad and tried to draw something to distract himself. He wanted to draw to distract himself and somehow lessen his headache. Drawing was one of Jae’s form of relieving stress when he didn’t have his guitar with him.

He pulled out a piece from their printed hand outs and started making a pair of eyes on the blank side of the paper. Then he made the eyebrows, the nose, the lips and so on until he completed the portrait. He stretched his arms in front of him to take a good look at his finished drawing. 

“What the hell?” Jae cursed under his breath upon realizing what he had drawn. Or rather who. 

On the paper, staring straight back at him was none other than his best friend. Sharp yet inexplicably soft eyes, that nose bridge he’d trade with at any time of the day, high cheekbones that accentuated his already eye-catching dimples when he as much moved the corner of his mouth to say something and moist lips that was rumoured to make the girls cry for more. The very same lips that tried to haunt Jae even in his dreams. Even the mole on his neck was there. Every features were undeniably screaming Kang Bri. Jae wanted to cry. What the hell was wrong with him?

He racked his brain for an answer but he wasn’t even close to coming up with one when he heard familiar voices from the outside. Their classmates filed inside the classroom one after another. Jae hastily returned the paper inside his bag. 

Their afternoon class ended earlier than usual because their literature teacher had an emergency to attend to and now the duo was walking along the hallway. “Jae, can you invite me to your house?” Brian stepped in front of Jae causing him to halt his steps. 

“Can’t.”

“You will be lonely without me,” Brian insisted.

“Stop. Your face is lame enough.”

“’kay fine but we don’t have training today and I’m not used to going home this early you know that. It’s so boring,” Brian confessed, sulking.

Jae sighed and side stepped before walking past the younger. “Let’s go.” Of course he relented. 

Brian quickly followed.

“Bri,” Jae started when Brian caught up to him.

“Yes?” 

“Why didn’t you deny it?”

“Deny what?”

“That we’re boyfriends what else.”

There was a pregnant pause before Brian shrugged his shoulders and said, “Because it’s fun.” 

It was Jae’s turn to fall silent. “Fun huh,” he murmured. “Help me find a solution for this misunderstanding.” 

“What misunderstanding?”

“The whole university thinks that we’re a couple nuthead!”

“Really?” the younger smiled and then continued, “I don’t see any problem with it though.”

“You don’t see any problem? What the actual…” Jae held his temples. He was getting nauseous because of his raging headache and Brian wasn’t helping at all. “Think of a way how to solve this because you’re partially to be blamed for not denying it in the first place.”

“I thought you’re the genius here. The solution is obvious.”

“I am not the genius you are. Now tell me.”

“We’ll get rid of the misunderstanding from the whole picture.”

“How?” 

Brian stepped in front of Jae for the second time. “By making it real. And by the word real, I mean to make the Jaebri couple a reality. Date me for real Jae.” 

The seriousness in Brian’s words left Jae speechless. Jae desperately tried to find the usual mischievous glint in his eyes but he found none. In its wake was…determination? Jae shook his head. It couldn’t be. Brian was just obviously toying with him. He said it himself. It was just for a fucking ‘fun’. The image of his drawing from earlier flashed in his mind. Why was he being so invested anyway? And how the hell did Brian invade his subconscious? The younger had invaded deep enough that Jae was able to draw him perfectly without really thinking about him. Or he did think about him but wasn’t aware of it? Jae wanted to punch the idiot in front of him just for the heck of it (or if he’s being honest to himself, ‘so he could shake off the foreign feelings that were threatening to blossom from his guts’ but he won’t admit it okay?). But the fact that they were still inside the school grounds stopped him; so instead, he ran for the exit as fast as he could. Hoping to leave Brian behind.

Much to Jae’s dismay though, the younger followed him all the way to the bus stop and eventually rode the same bus. Brian even had the nerve to sit beside him.

The ride back home was quiet, save for the call for stops every once in a while. The rest of the passengers, three high school students with headphones each, a pregnant woman reading a cheap magazine and an elderly man at the back, were all way too quiet for an acceptable atmosphere for Jae’s raging heartbeat (he ran, remember?).

When they arrived at Jae’s, the older proceeded to his room without a word and changed into a white shirt and navy blue jogging pants. When Jae went back to the living room, Brian was already sitting comfortably on the couch, watching some boring cooking shows on the television.

Brian turned his head towards him. For a split of a second, Jae could have sworn he saw him wearing a pained expression but it was immediately replaced with a blinding smile. “I’m sorry about what I’ve said earlier Jae. It was stupid of me, I know. But you know me right? I mean, you should have noticed that I was just teasing you.” 

See? Brian was not serious. All was good and merry between them. Jae thought as he forced himself to ignore the cold splash that swept his insides. He smiled despite the unknown weight in his heart, “I’m sorry for acting the way I did too. It’s…it’s all cool now.” He settled next to Brian. “I thought a lot about our situation during our ride home and I finally thought of a solution.”

“I know you would come up with something.”

“Of course I would.” Jae raised his chin with pride. 

Brian raised his brows. “Let’s hear it.”

“It’s actually pretty simple. Let’s just ignore it. It will eventually die on its own sooner or later.”

“Can you endure the attention though?” Brian asked. He knew how Jae hated noise.

“I sure as hell can.”

“Jae?”

“What?”

“You know I love you right?”

Did his heart just made a perfect somersault? Jae couldn’t even count the number of times that his best friend out right expressed those three words towards him and he couldn’t even remember when Brian had started saying them, but today, today was different. The three words had a weird effect on him. Suddenly, he couldn’t remember what they were talking about before those three words came out of Brian’s mouth. 

“Err…do you want some lemon pudding?” Jae stood up and marched towards the kitchen.

Brian quietly sighed in defeat before answering, “Yes and a lemon juice to go along with it please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've been in constant war with myself for the past two days. a part of me wants to post this chapter but another part of me tells me that it's a complete garbage and not worth upping. but today, i'm posting it. not because i'm thinking it got better or anything but because i just want to. XD i hope your eyes didn't hurt as much as mine when i read this. T___T


	5. Chapter 5

Just as what Jae had speculated, the ‘jaebri’ fever that took over the entire university died down after a week and now, only a couple of glances would occasionally land at the pair. Both didn’t mind though. They were used to it. 

But the root cause of Jae’s problem wasn’t solved at all. Brian became bolder in his attempts. Previously, Brian would only do it when nobody else was around, but now, even when they were in public, he wouldn’t let a chance slip.

“Park ssi.”

Jae snapped back to reality when he heard their professor call his name in a not-so-endearing way. He was so busy thinking about how to stop Brian from doing his shameful acts that he forgot he was in the middle of a lecture. 

“Do you mind going in front and underline the first argument in this paragraph and explain why it is considered as one?” Their teacher asked and gestured towards the writings on the board.

‘Of course I mind,’ Jae thought and clicked his tongue. He leaned forward and squinted. He could see every stroke of chicken scratches that somehow resembled the Korean characters on the board but he just had to do these movements to buy some time. 

If the subject was related to Maths or other basic Sciences, he wouldn’t mind going at once because he’s confident that he was familiar with all existing basic formulas already. But this was a freaking Philosophy! And a new topic at that. Even though he’s considered a genius (he’s not bragging, just stating a fact), he hated studying. He would rather draw or read novels than study in advance. He was always dependent on the lectures given to them during class. So there he was; doing his best not to look like a fool as his mind ran miles after miles trying to figure out what to do. After a couple of seconds that felt like hours to him and to those watching him struggle, he internally sighed and decided to confess that he didn’t know a thing. But before he could utter a word, Brian suddenly jumped off his seat and stormed towards the board. He underlined a sentence and quickly explained the reason why it was an argument without leaving a room for their professor to interrupt him. He gave hints here and there for Jae to catch up to their topic without being too obvious.

Jae gave his friend a slight nod of appreciation. Through Brian’s explanation, Jae got the gist of the whole picture.

“Kang ssi. I’m impressed that you _actually_ participated in class but the one I asked was Park Jaehyung and you butted in without my consent. Why is that so?” the professor asked, raising his brows.

Brian scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Because Jae clearly minds going in front Sir.”

“I see. The two of you, please remain after class.”

Jae silently cursed.

It was seven o’clock in the evening when the professor decided to end their lesson. Praiseworthy because it was actually two hours earlier than everyone expected. The class end at around quarter to nine on a regular basis even though the schedule was six thirty to eight. So everyone was out of the classroom in a heartbeat before their professor could change his mind. Except for the duo anyway and the professor himself.

He started. “I want the two of you to make a special research. I won’t give you a specific topic. You can do whatever research you like as long as it is related to Philosophy.”

Brian was still sitting on his seat sporting a not-so-impressed look. “I’m sorry but why do we have to do it? I mean, I know that Jae here made a mistake of drifting into space while probably thinking about how handsome I am but it’s not like our classmates haven’t done the same in the past. And what I’ve done was exactly an act of heroism. Nobody gets punished for being a hero.”

There was no need for Jae to be reminded why he wasn’t fazed by his friend’s pompous attitude at all. He had practically lived half of his life listening to him saying such things that if Brian would say something humble in the future, Jae would vomit.

The professor though, had to clear his throat. “I don’t recall telling you that it was a punishment Kang ssi. I’m assigning this to you two because I want a new material for the class and I know that Park ssi is more than capable in doing the research alone. I only included you, Kang ssi to be Park ssi’s inspiration.”

“I get it Sir! You did the right thing for letting me in on this.” Brian agreed with a grin and wiggling eyebrows. His attitude made a 180 degrees turn.

“I’m sorry for interrupting Sir. But I want you to know that I’m listening and you’re definitely ignoring my presence by talking nonessential things to this stupid monkey. Anyway, how much time do I have for this Sir?” Jae was irritated but kept his cool.

“You have a month for it Park ssi. I’m sure you won’t disappoint me. Good luck and good night gentlemen.” The professor then exited the classroom.

It was Friday morning when Jae found his best friend knocking at his door with a sleepover bag hanging on his shoulder. Just a few hours more than a day after the research assignment was assigned to them.

“Good morning Jae!” Brian greeted in all smiles when Jae let him in. The younger unceremoniously leaned forward and would have successfully planted a kiss on Jae’s lips if the older boy wasn’t distracted by the crunching noise that made him turn his head sideways. Kira, his cat, was stepping on the foil he had carefully laid under the fish bowl, a technique he had resorted to prevent the cat from fishing. Then on times he was not home, he puts the bowl inside a cage to keep his goldfishes safe. 

“Oh stupid cat,” Brian said, eyeing the cat with disdain.

Wiping his poor left cheek where Brian’s lips had landed—as a way to calm his racing heartbeat, Jae turned to his friend, “You are the one who’s stupid.” And before his friend could say anything back, he went and lifted his cat off the table, “How many times did I tell you not to bother the goldies?” (Yes Jae named them goldyone, goldytwo, goldythree and goldyfour. Stop judging.)

“Where do I place my bag Jae?” Brian was inside Jae’s room. 

Jae sighed. He had foreseen this to happen (Brian crashing on his place) after the research was assigned to them but he didn’t think it would be this soon that’s why he hadn’t prepared his room yet. “Just leave it somewhere. We need to hurry up for our special class in Pottery.”

Brian grunted, “I almost forgot about that stupid class.” 

“It’s not stupid Bri,” Jae snapped. Pottery was his most favourite subject of the current semester yet Brian just casually insulted it right in front of him. “You shouldn’t have enrolled in it in the first place if you find it stupid, stupid!” 

“Look, I’m sorry Jae. You know I didn’t mean it.”

Shoot. Maybe Jae had overreacted.

“And you also know why I enrolled myself there,” Brian threw Jae a disgusting (read: cute) wink before he continued, “I require myself to be in every class you are in because I love you.”

Okay, he didn’t overreact. If anything, Jae’s previous words proved to be very much ineffective. So there he was, sighing in defeat yet again. “Fine. Fine. Just stop talking.”

On their way to university, they rode the bus sitting side by side while sharing Jae’s earphones. 

Their class in pottery ended and lunch was all Brian could think about. As usual, they did their rock-paper-scissors in front of the vending machine to determine who would be paying for the day’s lunch. And for the first time in the entire month, Jae won. He was so happy that he ordered almost all of the displayed food while Brian ended up ordering a cup of coffee only because his money couldn’t afford to accommodate a decent lunch for himself anymore. “Jae, you should have left some food for the other students too. Thanks to you, I’m broke.” 

“Dude, you don’t have to be that upset you know. I can always give you some of my food.” Jae offered while munching on _his_ food.

“Really?” Brian’s eyes lit up and he was fast to reach for a slice of pork but Jae was faster to slap his hand away. The younger threw him a questioning look.

“Not so fast Bri. I will share half of my food with you on one condition.” Now Jae really felt like he had the upper hand.

“What is it?” Brian would do anything. He would do Jae’s laundry for a week if he had to. He was that hungry. But Jae’s response made his heart sink to his stomach.

“Stop stealing my first kiss.” 

“What?!” Brian leaned backwards, away from the table, away from the boy sitting across him, away from Jae. “I mean, there are lots of other things you can make me do. I can wash your dishes for a month, I can carry your bag for a week, I can even be your slave for a day.”

Jae shook his head. “I don’t want any of those.”

Brian ran his fingers through his hair and sipped his coffee.

“I think I can live through the day with just coffee. I’ll be heading to our classroom first. I don’t feel well. Excuse me. Enjoy your food.” And Brian left with his coffee.

[Twitter](https://twitter.com/selenophileeaj)


	6. Chapter 6

Jae wasn’t able to say a word to his best friend. He just stared as Brian walked away and disappeared from his sight. He couldn’t believe what just transpired. To think that Brian’s desire to embarrass him weighed more importance than lunch itself. Lunch. Brian would marry food if you ask him any day of the week. Heck, Jae was sure Brian would trade his last name for a bowl of ramyeon. The thought that an alien had took over the younger’s body was more plausible than the real Brian refusing food over something petty. He finished his food, trying to ignore the heaviness tugging his heart.

When Jae entered their classroom, he scanned for Brian and found him sleeping in a corner with the side of his face planted on the desk. Tugging the strap of his knapsack taut on his shoulder, Jae crossed the room and sat on the empty chair next to his friend without a word. When Wonpil who was sitting two seats away from them threw him a questioning look, he just shrugged his shoulders as if telling the younger that he had it coming. He figured Wonpil must have tried to get on Brian’s nerves earlier but was shot down. Jae knew just how feisty Brian gets when he was hungry. Jae shook his head to disperse the thought that he was the cause of it and fiddled with his phone as he waited for their first afternoon class to start.

Brian just bothered to open his eyes (thank God he was still alive) when their professor said that she would return last week’s take home essays that were far from satisfactory.

“Kang ssi.”

“Yes sonsaengnim?” Brian answered. His voice hoarse with sleep.

The professor was holding Brian’s paper, motioning for him to claim it. “I’m pretty sure you can do better than this. Please do this again and hand it to me on Monday.” 

Brian puffed his cheek. “But sonsaengnim, I assure you that I can’t do better than that. Besides, I’m hungry.”

Jae bit the inside of his cheek.

“Thank you for the assurance Kang ssi but you still has to redo this. And please be reminded that a normal person can’t be hungry when he just had his lunch.”

Jae pursed his lips. His conscience eating at him slowly but surely. Brian got up from his seat murmuring some unrecognizable words (probably about being hungry) before taking his paper from the unfazed professor. He then returned to his seat, stashed the papers inside his bag without even looking at them and dropped his head on top of his desk to continue his slumber.

Two fucking hours passed before their professor finally decided that they could take their break. Brian bolted up from his seat only to sit down again weakly when he remembered that he’s got no money left. Folding his arms on top of his desk and resting his head on it, he decided to just sleep throughout their break. He didn’t even have the energy to skip classes anymore. But it wasn’t even five minutes yet since he closed his eyes when he felt something hit his head. He clicked his tongue and was ready to yell at whoever dared to hit him when he was greeted by a grinning Jae holding a heaven sent box. A pizza. The older handed it to him before opening a can of soda.

Brian didn’t waste any time. In a couple of minutes, he finished the whole box by himself sparing only a slice for Jae.

“You are definitely an angel,” Brian declared while licking his fingertips clean. “I haven’t met someone as caring, loving and beautiful as you. Having you as my best friend is the best thing on earth. I love you so much Jae!” His eyes were sparkling. “How did you even manage to get a pizza this fast?”

“I ordered online thirty minutes ago while you were busy sulking. Anyway, you have a smudge of hot sauce on your lips.” Jae answered and pointed out the mess on Brian’s face to ignore the magic three word phrase he just heard from him.

“What method do you suggest that should be used to wipe it off?” Brian said with a smirk and mischievous glint in his eyes. 

Jae felt heat creep on his cheek. “Are you stupid? Lick it off yourself!” 

Brian raised his brows before chuckling. 

Jae realized what kind of bullshit he sputtered yet again. Brian already stuck out the tip of his tongue and let it slide between his lips. Jae only had the self awareness to look away when the tip of his friend's lips turned upwards into a smirk.

And just like that, Brian’s sulking was cured. He even stayed awake for the remaining lecture which surprised their teacher at first but after seeing the empty box of pizza sitting next to the feet of his chair, she just gently reminded her student to dispose of it properly later on.

The two got home together after the class. They refused to play computer games with the others saying that they’ve got something to work on. They rode the bus together and had to stand as it was quite crowded. Jae refused to entertain the tingling sensation he felt when Brian placed a protective arm around him, effectively preventing the other commuters from invading his standing space.

When they arrived at Jae’s, Brian insisted that he will feed the goldfishes. The older let him.

After bickering for at least two hours about what topic they would write about (they didn’t come to agree with anything yet by the way, Brian insisted that they introduce Stoicism in class while Jae wouldn’t back down with his idea of in-depth analysis of Sigmund Freud’s early life), they finally sat in front of the dining table. 

“Bri.” Jae started.

Brian hummed in response without lifting his head from where he was inhaling his food.

“Why do you enjoy making me feel embarrassed all the time?”

Brian placed down the fried chicken he was holding. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t play innocent.”

“I’m not. If you are referring to the kissing attempts, I assure you that I’m not just making you uncomfortable. Although I won’t deny that the look on your face is always priceless.” 

“Then why?” Jae pressed.

This was it. The chance that Brian was waiting all along. He and Jae together, their conversation getting serious. He cleared his throat. “I…I want you to promise me that you won’t kick me out.”

“Okay. I won’t. This is awkward as shit already so get on it already.” Jae didn’t care anymore. He just wanted answers.

After a couple of silent stares and blinks, Brian inhaled deeply and exhaled quite loudly to calm his hammering heart. “Okay. The first reason is that I really find you cute and adorable. Secondly, I find your lips way too attractive. And the last must be the cause of the first two reasons. I really love you. Of course I always tell you that. But this time, no, not only this time. I started seeing you in a different way these past few months. You must have noticed that I didn’t bug you to write love letters for me anymore. Or ask you to bake a cake for me so that I can give it to some blonde I’m obsessed with. You are sweet, gentle, caring, loving and oh-so-perfect. I didn’t have the courage to confess because a trouble-maker like me does not deserve someone as beautiful as you. But you just have to ask for it. There were lots of times that I wanted to confess but I always chicken out. That’s why I’m always trying to kiss you. Thinking that, just like in most movies, feelings are conveyed and returned through it. But hell, this is real life and you are one hell of a dodger. That time when others thought that we were dating, it felt like a dream come true. I always wished that it was real. But when I saw your troubled face, I went and tried to fix the misunderstanding. I cleared everything on that bird app. I personally dealt with all of those students that were shipping us. I asked them one by one to stop what they were doing. I spent a whole day and even pulled an all-nighter for it. Just to see you comfortable again in front of the people in the campus. I was happy when I succeeded in doing so. But you just had to break my heart earlier during lunch when you seriously asked me to stop my attempts of kissing you. I don’t know what to do but then just like the angel that you are to me, you performed yet another miracle when you handed me the pizza during break. You see, you make me fall for you over and over again. I love you so much Jae.” Brian was running out of breath when he stopped talking.

“I thought. You. Wouldn’t stop. talking.” Jae said in between sobs.

“Oh my God! Jae?” Brian panicked. He wanted to hug his best friend but he retaliated when he thought that the other might freak out after his confession. “Are you crying?” Brian asked as if it wasn’t obvious as hell.

“No. I’m just sweating through my eyes.” Jae answered when he calmed down a bit. “Yes of course, idiot.” 

“I’m sorry Jae. I’m sorry, okay? Please don’t cry anymore. I…I just answered your question. I didn’t know I would hurt you like this.” Brian didn’t know what to do.

“Don’t apologize stupid.” Jae said as he smacked his best friend’s arm jokingly.

“What do you want me to do? I can go home if you’re uncomfortable. Forget about what I made you promise.” Brian was worried as hell that all he wanted do was to stay by the older boy’s side but if he was the source of his pain, he would evaporate right that instant.

Jae wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. “Don’t. I’m not uncomfortable Bri. I mean, I should be right?” He looked directly at the younger’s eyes. “But if anything, I’m relieved. All this time I thought you were just making fun of me. But now that you explained, I don’t know why but I feel really happy.”

Now it was Brian who felt like he wanted to cry. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing from his best friend. Jae was okay with his confession? “Really?” 

Jae smiled. “Really. I’m surprised though. I mean, we’re best of friends for years yet I didn’t realize that you’re bi.”

“Oh!” Brian exclaimed as if realization just hit his face. “Now that you mention it, you are a guy and so I am too.”

The older laughed fondly. “It’s expected that you didn’t realize until now. If you had, then you wouldn’t live up to your name of being the biggest-stupid-idiot-human-living-on-earth ever.”

Brian was quiet for a while Jae just waited. Smiling. 

Brian shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t care though. It doesn’t matter. All I know is I like you and I’m happy I finally told you everything I wanted to say. So, can I be your boyfriend?” He sighed when he was met with silence. But since he’s Brian, he bit his lip and continued to push. “I know you get confessions from all the hot girls at least once a week. But their hotness doesn’t measure to mine.”

Jae guffawed. “Needless to say Brian, but I still need to say this. You. Are so full of yourself!”

Brian grinned and wiggled his brows. “That doesn’t make me less sexy though.”

“Damn Bri.”

“Can I be your boyfriend?” Brian asked once again.

Jae gulped. He couldn’t look at the younger straight in the eyes. When he heard Brian’s confession, everything finally made sense. The drawing. The bus. The assignment. He was in love with his best friend.

Brian licked his lips. A habit of his when he becomes nervous and uncertain. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to give your answer right now. I mean, if something like this happened to me, I would freak out. I completely understand Jae. You see, I’ve got my hopes up when you didn’t get angry.” He laughed but it didn’t reach his eyes. “The food—”

This time, it was Brian that wasn’t able to finish his sentence as a pair of luscious lips brushed against his’ ever so lightly. It all happened in an instant. He saw Jae lean forward but he didn’t have the time to react. He just stared at the older like a fool.

Brian blinked. And blinked again. He did it so many times that Jae thought his lashes might fall from all the blinking he made. He was gaping. Disbelief all over his face. The view was priceless. Jae regretted not having his camera on hand. 

After a couple of minutes, Brian regained his sanity. “What was that for?”

“To shut you up of course. If I didn’t, you would have ranted nonstop. And it’s also killing two birds with one stone.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do I really need to spell it out for you?” Jae knew he was blushing. Being bashful like Brian wasn’t really his forte.

“Can I kiss you?” Brian asked. Eager. Too eager. 

Jae placed a hand on Brian’s chest to stop him from leaning any further. “Not so fast Brian Kang.” He chuckled for a bit when Brian pouted. “Listen. You have to steal it from me. I obviously stole one from you in case you didn’t notice.” 

“Prepare yourself.” Brian huffed, wearing his signature melt-with-my-hotness smirk.

“Oh. But I already am.” Jae smiled sweetly before stealing another kiss from the unsuspecting boy in front of him.

[Twitter](https://twitter.com/selenophileeaj)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry for this unedited garbage. i rushed everything i know. scream at my face if you want haha. fun fact: i started writing this fic tipsy. and until now, the names of the documents on my desktop are Flavored Beer 1, Flavored Beer 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6\. :P


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